LeBron James and the Lakers fan base had a tough watch on opening night as the team collapsed to a 119-109 loss to arch rivals, the Warriors, in Tuesday's opening night clash. The Lakers were in it after the first half, trimming Golden State's 10-point second-quarter lead to one. However, the trend from last season continued as LA came out flat in the third quarter while Steph Curry and Co. ran circles around it. The Lakers went down as big as 17 (78-61) halfway through that frame. The cameras focused on James during that phase, as he watched the game from the sidelines, having missed his first-ever season opener. The four-time MVP had a stoic expression watching how things unfolded with the Lakers providing little to no resistance.Fans quickly referenced a report stating that James might consider a trade if the Lakers struggled in his absence over the next few weeks. Here's how they reacted:AR @A_Riggo24LINKRich Paul calling the Mavs and Cavs as we speak. Lmao 😂Jason @jason23lakeLINKHe couldve went to dallas but stayed at this trashعبدالعزيز بن سـعد @Alkhaldi_A_SLINKHe’s thinking about how to go to Cleveland and join the group of stars with Mitchell. 💭🏀Art Sarkisyan @artur1305LINKHe’s gonna ask for a tradeLucro 💫 @PlayoffLucroLINKHow he wasted the end of his careerBaby Curry 💦 @dubbabynationLINK“how the hell am I gonna leave the lakers to play with curry”Lakers missed LeBron James' experience and star power vs Warriors While most of the blame for the Lakers' loss falls on their lack of preparedness and intensity in the second half, some of it is also attributed to them missing LeBron James. Without the four-time MVP, the Lakers seemingly didn't have the star power to support Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.Doncic had 43 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, shooting 63.0%. Reaves finished with 26 points, five rebounds and nine assists on 56.3% shots. The role players weren't up to the mark and that's where James would have masked their flaws.On the other hand, the Warriors got the most out of Jimmy Butler with 31 points, Steph Curry, who had 23 and Draymond Green, who tallied eight points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield scored 17 points apiece, providing the apt production required to support the stars.LeBron James is the most experienced when it comes to battling the Warriors in high-stakes games like these and the Lakers sorely missed his presence. He's been key to LA's success in previous years against Golden State, but without him, the Lakers looked clueless in making the right reads on either end.